


All That And Dragons

by thecheekydragon



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Businessman Arthur, Destiny, M/M, Merlin is the worst assistant ever, Modern AU, POV Arthur, Piercings, Porn Star Merlin, Tattoos, cam knight, dragon lorde, emo-scene Merlin, gay porn, office mishaps, personal assistant, porn twink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-08
Updated: 2013-06-08
Packaged: 2017-12-14 08:40:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/834899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecheekydragon/pseuds/thecheekydragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur hires the man of his fantasies - twink porn star Dragon Lorde - as his personal assistant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All That And Dragons

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on LJ on August 04, 2011. Just moving some of my fics over to AO3 for housekeeping purposes.
> 
> "Cameo" appearance by real-life boycrush model Miles Pride who was the inspiration for Merlin’s character in this fic. Also, please note that Archipelago is an actual restaurant in London’s West End; the food described is straight from the menu.

Arthur swept the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip and stroked more vigorously as the man called Percy Strong grabbed hold of Dragon Lorde’s head and tugged roughly on his hair, not breaking his stride of steady thrusting. A deep moan escaped Dragon’s lips, followed by a low, pleasurable “oh yeah, fuck, yeah”.

This was Arthur’s favourite part. As Percy continued to thrust and yank in tandem with the erotic moaning, Arthur knew it wouldn’t be long before he and Dragon exploded. Dragon would come first, face etched with surreal ecstasy as he stroked himself through the ultimate cum-shot. That usually put Arthur over the edge. Then, as he began to come down from his orgasmic high, covered in his own sticky fluid, he would watch with rapt, perverted attention as the other man pulled out of Dragon, ripped off the condom, flipped the boy quickly over and erupted hot on his abdomen and chest – then proceeded to lick a strip up the boy’s body to lap up their collective cum.

It was glorious. But then, every video produced for the gay porn website _HotBoyz_ that featured the young emo-scene model named Dragon Lorde was that. Whether Dragon bottomed or topped, it was always hot and never enough – never enough for Arthur, who craved those sex scenes starring the lean, dark-haired beauty like a fish craved water.

Arthur reached for the box of tissues on the side table and, plucking a handful, cleaned himself up thoroughly. He closed the lid of his laptop and slid it across the black silk coverlet away from him. His entire body was still flushed and on fire, so he lay on his back on top of the coverlet, idly thinking as he allowed himself to cool down.

Dragon Lorde. A stage name obviously – most likely intended to pay homage to the magnificent full tattoo the porn star had displayed on his back. The head of the dragon started on the right shoulder, its fire-breathing mouth draping over to the front. Its body ran down the right side of the back, with its tail curling along the young man’s side and splashing onto his abdomen. On his left shoulder blade was a second, smaller tattoo – a heart – coloured in red, with the word ‘Destiny’ scripted across it in black. Taken together, the tattoos were an impressive display, adding further appeal to an already impressive (though perhaps a little thin) body.

Lean and lanky, Dragon had a youthful look about him, and Arthur was inclined to peg the boy at around twenty or twenty-one. He was the kind of guy others often described as “emo” or “scene”, with dark hair (natural not dyed) that was stylishly messy, somewhat spiky at the back and longer at the front, though not so long that it covered his face or those orgasm-inducing bedroom blue eyes. Like many emo boys, he had piercings - a silver bellybutton stud and double bottom lip rings. And though Arthur wasn’t into piercings as a general rule, on Dragon he found them not only tolerable but intensely erotic. He loved watching guys lick cum off Dragon’s silver stud and couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to kiss those ornamented lips, or to experience the feel of those rings as Dragon’s plush pink lips slid up and down his cock.

Arthur slowly drifted off to sleep, his mind full of pleasant and dirty thoughts that, if he was lucky, would be great fodder for some very pleasant and dirty dreams.

~*~

Morgana’s assistant Gwen, who was the most efficient person Arthur knew besides Morgana herself, had agreed – with Morgana’s permission, of course – to help him keep the interviews flowing smoothly and to give him an encouraging thumbs up whenever she thought he needed it.

Arthur dreaded this part. This was the fifth job posting he had made for a Personal Assistant since being named by his father, the CEO of Pendragon Inc., as Director of International Relations. None of the ones hired so far had quite worked out. His father claimed he was too selective and Morgana insisted he was too much of a tyrant to work for, but as far as Arthur was concerned, it was simply a matter of mismatching personalities. His previous assistants had either been too inept for his liking or had spent more time flirting with him than assisting him. 

“Maybe you’ll have better luck after lunch,” Gwen tried to console him as Arthur pushed the heels of his palms into his eye sockets in an attempt to ease the pain.

Arthur took a full hour long lunch break and returned to his office feeling somewhat more relaxed. Of course, the two glasses of chardonnay at lunch had helped. So, he was feeling considerably less pessimistic when Gwen came in to his office to announce the next candidate for interview.

“Merlin Emrys,” Gwen said and if Arthur wasn’t mistaken, there was a slight smirk showing on her otherwise professionally schooled features.

Arthur pretended to be preoccupied with the CV in front of him as Gwen showed the next candidate in. He did this with all the candidates – first, as a way to cast an air of busy-man-with-limited-time-but-very-attentive-to-details and second, to establish a slight power imbalance so as to give him the upper advantage. He allowed the candidate to take a seat and to get moderately comfortable before looking up and introducing himself.

After Merlin Emrys had settled into the chair across from his desk, Arthur looked up and found himself face-to-face with the blue-eyed, dark-haired emo babe he had watched many times bang and get banged six ways to Sunday. Arthur took in the stylishly messed up hair and lip rings, the charcoal grey slim-fitting dress shirt and loose striped tie, and the black jeans that hugged the lanky frame. Arthur mentally undressed the young man, knowing he would certainly find the bellybutton stud and the sprawling dragon tattoo, accentuated by a red heart with the word “Destiny” displayed on a long, lean back. Merlin Emrys was Dragon Lorde.

“It’s the piercings, isn’t it?”

The young man’s voice brought Arthur out of his reverie. “What? No. I mean, yes.” He shook his head and forced himself to drag his eyes away from the man. “Um, I mean...No.” 

When exactly had he become such a blubbering idiot?

The young man grinned. “Will said I should’ve taken them out before the interview. The lip rings, that is.” He touched his finger to his bottom lip to indicate the rings. Arthur found this highly distracting.

“Will?” he asked. Was it getting hot in here? Arthur wondered. He pulled at the collar of his crisp, expensive dress shirt.

“My mate,” Dragon responded.

Arthur very much wanted to clarify exactly what kind of mate this Will was, but it wasn’t really any of his business. He needed to stay focused on the interview.

“So...Merlin,” he began, quickly scanning the CV in front of him again. There was no mention of working or having worked in the adult entertainment industry or any claim of being a porn star extraordinaire. “You indicate your work experience has been primarily service-related.” Arthur coughed, clearing his throat. “Can you tell me a bit more about that?”

“Mostly odd jobs,” Merlin elaborated. “You know, house-sitting for couples on holiday. Taking dogs for a walk or caring for pets while owners are away.”

“I see,” Arthur said, not really knowing what else to say. On the plus side, if Merlin Emrys had been trusted to look after houses and beloved pets, he couldn’t be all that bad. Arthur could easily check his references.

Wait. Did this mean he was seriously considering even entertaining the idea of hiring this Dragon Lorde/Merlin Emrys? He must be stark raving mad.

“Says here you have some, uh, modelling experience?” Arthur continued. He held his breath. If Merlin said he modelled different sexual positions, Arthur didn’t know what he’d do or say to that.

Merlin nodded. “For a clothing line called The Grunge Beat,” he said and Arthur let out his breath. “Sold online only. Don’t know how popular it is among mainstreamers. I can give you the web address, if you like.”

Arthur nodded absently. Then he folded his hands and placed them on top of the desk. He made eye contact with Merlin, while doing his best not to stammer or blush.

“Computer skills?” he asked.

Merlin nodded.

“Any experience managing schedules?”

Merlin gave a shrug. “Well, I manage my own,” he said. “And I’m pretty busy.”

“Know how to use a photocopier, fax machine?”

Merlin’s plush pink lips turned up into a grin. “How hard could it be?” he responded.

Indeed. Arthur looked thoughtful for a moment then asked, “What do you consider to be your greatest strength?” It was a standard interview question and Arthur had to ask it, even if he ran the risk of getting an answer that would make him want to crawl under his desk. But so far Merlin Emrys had mentioned not even a hint of his double life.

“I’m good with people,” Merlin answered without hesitation. “I know it probably doesn’t seem like it,” he said, waving a hand over himself, “but most people – well, and animals – take to me. Will says I have a certain kind of attraction that puts people at ease.”

Arthur had to meet this Will. Merlin had some kind of attraction alright. But it made Arthur feel horny, not at ease. Yet, there was something about Merlin that was strangely comforting. Arthur chalked that up to familiarity. His porn collection, most of which starred young Dragon Lorde, was a huge source of comfort to him, after all.

“Would you be able to start Monday?” he asked.

“ _Really?_ ” Merlin said, his mouth gaping wide open, not an image Arthur wanted to see right now because it made him think of Merlin’s real strength.

Arthur nodded. “I’m willing to give you a chance,” he said, shifting a little in his seat.

Merlin jumped up from his chair and leaned across Arthur’s desk. He shook Arthur’s hand emphatically. “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

After Merlin Emrys exited his office, Arthur dropped his forehead to his desk and bumped it on the wood repeatedly. Did he really just hire porn twink Dragon Lorde as his Personal Assistant? 

~*~

Merlin’s first week on the job started out a complete disaster. There was no other description for it. Gwen graciously offered to “train” Merlin on the phone system and Arthur admired her long-suffering patience. It took three days before Merlin was able to successfully put a call through to Arthur in his office and Arthur spent almost a whole day returning calls to international business associates whom Merlin had accidentally disconnected when trying to transfer. And that only included those whose names Merlin had been able to jot down and Arthur had been able to decipher.

Merlin also had him scheduled for meetings at the wrong times and on wrong days. Arthur didn’t dare let Merlin make any travel arrangements for him for fear he’d end up in Timbuktu when he was supposed to be in Italy. No, Arthur made those arrangements and reservations himself, just to be sure.

Towards the end of the week, Arthur had persuaded himself that Merlin was showing progress. But that thought was short-lived when Merlin accidentally knocked a mug of hot coffee into his lap – coffee that had one lump of sugar when it was supposed to have only a dash of cream.

“Oh, man – sorry,” Merlin mumbled, wide-eyed, as Arthur jumped up from his chair, expressing a manly “eek!” He rushed forward, his hands darting in the direction of Arthur’s pant-clad, coffee-soaked pelvis. Arthur jumped back, pulling at his trouser front, not wanting Merlin’s hands anywhere near the vicinity of his crotch, even if Merlin’s intentions were purely altruistic. He had had hot coffee spilled in his lap; he didn’t need to add the awkwardness of a sudden hard-on to the mix.

“I’m okay,” Arthur said, holding his palms out to keep Merlin at bay.

Merlin chewed on his bottom lip and Arthur prayed he didn’t accidentally swallow and choke on his lip ring.

“You’re gonna fire me, aren’t you?” Merlin said, his face a combination of apology, resignation, and puppy-dog plea of forgiveness. All together, it was perfectly adorable.

“No, Merlin,” Arthur found himself saying. “I’m not going to fire you. It’s just a little spilt coffee. On my lap. Happens to everyone.” That was a stretch, of course. Six personal assistants and only one had ever spilled anything on his lap. But Arthur wouldn’t fire Merlin because of it. He’d just have to be on his toes more around Merlin, that was all. And maybe wear protective gear.

A look of relief passed over Merlin’s face. He made a move forward again. “Do you want me to help you--?”

“No!” Arthur said, taking a step back. “Um, no thanks, I mean,” he amended when he saw Merlin frown. “I think I can handle it.” He gave Merlin an encouraging smile. “Maybe this is a good time to call it a day?” he suggested.

Merlin smiled back, looking more hopeful. It had been a hell of a week for him, Arthur supposed.

Arthur didn’t even bother to attempt to dab the coffee – which thankfully had cooled quickly through the fabric – from his trousers before calling it a day himself. At home, he ditched his entire suit, adding it to the garments to be dry-cleaned. He coated his groin and thighs with a medicated cream for household burns, then pulled on sleep pants and dropped into bed. It was only four o’clock in the afternoon but Arthur figured he could use the sleep to prepare for another day with Merlin.

~*~

There was little doubt that Merlin was probably the worst assistant he’d ever had but Arthur couldn’t bring himself to fire him. Every time he thought he might, he’d imagine Merlin naked, that dragon tattoo on display on his back, that cute heart one on his shoulder blade, the way he moaned to sell it, and gave as good as he got. And that pretty much pushed the idea of firing him right out of his mind.

Morgana even questioned his sanity. 

“Merlin’s not a very good assistant, is he?” she asked over lunch two weeks after Arthur had hired Merlin.

“Nope. Quite terrible actually.” There was no beating around the bush.

Morgana’s exquisite brows furrowed. “Then why the hell have you kept him on?” she asked, clearly puzzled. “You’ve gotten rid of far better ones in half the time.”

Arthur shrugged. What could he tell Morgana? That the porn star of his wildest fantasies was the adorable and inept assistant he had hired? And that he now couldn’t bear to fire the chap?

Morgana’s lips formed into a smile. “You like him,” she announced.

“What? No. I mean, of course I like him. He’s a likeable enough guy.”

Morgana’s smile was now a smirk. “Come now, Arthur. You’re blushing.”

“Am not,” he countered, but he knew he was.

“You are too. What gives?”

“Nothing,” Arthur told her and he thought he sounded very convincing. “You’re always telling me I should give people more of a chance. So, I’m giving Merlin a chance.”

Morgana huffed out a laugh. “A chance to what, burn down the building?”

Arthur gave her a look. “Really, Morgana, that’s not very nice of you. Merlin has potential. He just needs a little supportive encouragement.”

“Okay,” Morgana said, trying not to grin too widely. “But I’ve got the fire department on speed dial just in case.”

Arthur threw his napkin at her and gestured to the waitress for their bill.

~*~

Arthur had clearly not been thinking when he decided to bring his new assistant in with him to the board meeting that morning, a meeting at which he was to give a short but informative report on the activities of his office over the past month. Luckily, the report had already been prepared and all Merlin had to do was copy and distribute copies to the chairman and board members, take meeting notes, and pour Arthur some water if he required it, but even these relatively simple tasks proved challenging to the porn model-cum-PA.

It was poor judgment heading toward complete disaster right from the start. Merlin struggled with no less than three major paper jams when making the twenty copies of the ten-page report and did something in a valiant attempt to unjam the photocopy machine that made it whine, sputter and refuse to work the rest of the day. So Arthur had to print five of the copies on his office printer with Merlin relegated to collating and stapling these copies. In the process of performing this task, Merlin somehow managed to catch a staple through his middle finger which, it turned out, bled more profusely than if he had severed a major artery. Arthur patched Merlin up with supplies from his office first aid kit only to discover that a large amount of his blood had found its way onto both of their dress shirts. So, Arthur fetched a spare shirt from a closet in his office for himself and did his best with a stain stick he had in his drawer to blot out some of the blood spots on Merlin’s. Apparently, one really could not be over-prepared when it came to Merlin.

In the meeting room, Arthur held his breath while Merlin distributed copies of the report around the table, silently praying that he would manage that without a hitch. He deliberately avoided his father’s sharp gaze, knowing he would see the raised eyebrows and subtle frown in judgment of Arthur’s new PA. For all his worldly and progressive business-sense, Uther Pendragon was a man of custom and tradition and, with his untucked (and blood-splattered) dress shirt, loose tie, punked hair and piercings, Merlin Emrys would most certainly be considered the antithesis. Arthur could only hope that his father hadn’t noticed Merlin’s choice of footwear (studded black boots today) or that, quite possibly, the boy wasn’t wearing any underwear under his tight black jeans. Merlin made it around the table without incident, save for an amused comment by stalwart board member Fred Jones about his apparent “battle wounds” and an obvious leer from getting-on-seventy-ish Mrs. Watson. Not that Arthur could blame the woman – Merlin was a special brand of irresistible. 

Merlin took up the chair next to Arthur and placed a steno pad and an HB pencil on the table in front of him. Where had he had those hidden? Arthur wondered. Arthur really wanted to tell Merlin that his chair was positioned a tad close to his but he didn’t want to jinx what seemed to be a momentary respite from the myriad of Merlin mishaps.

“Shall we begin?” his father said, casting a glance around the table. His gaze then rested on Arthur. “Arthur, you may as well present your report first.”

Arthur began his presentation, making occasional references to the copies given to the board members. As he talked, he became aware of a repetitious noise beside him – Merlin tap-tap-tapping his pencil on the steno pad to the rhythm of some nerve-wracking beat. Without breaking stride in his speech, Arthur reached out and stilled the pencil with his hand, hoping Merlin would take the hint and jot down a few notes instead of beating out a tune. Merlin apparently caught the hint and, after wetting the tip of his pencil with his tongue (really?), put lead to paper. He may have jotted down the date and a smiley face before Arthur heard a crack and noticed that Merlin’s pencil had broken in two. Merlin patted himself, apparently looking for another pencil, and came up empty so Arthur slid him his steel pen, vowing to A: give Merlin a set of pens because who used wood and lead pencils in the business world except on the golf course and B: never take Merlin into a board meeting again.

Arthur finished his report with the full attention of all the board members, but whether that was because they were captivated by what he had to say about the activities of International Relations or because they were reacting like gawkers at a car crash to the circus act that was he and Merlin was anybody’s guess. In any event, heads were nodded, throats were cleared, and approvals were murmured and Arthur was just thankful it was over.

When the meeting finished, the Chairman of the Board – his father – made a gesture at Arthur that indicated he’d “like a word”, so Arthur nobly let Merlin go back to the office while he courageously stayed behind.

“Does your assistant have some kind of mental affliction?” the CEO of Pendragon Inc. wanted to know.

“Probably,” Arthur replied, intending to shuffle away quickly to avoid his father’s interrogation. But that was not going to happen.

“And what are those things on his lip?”

“Not things, father – rings,” Arthur answered.

“Rings?” The older Pendragon looked perplexed.

“Yes. Like the ones Morgana wears in her ears. It’s quite fashionable these days.”

Uther Pendragon looked at Arthur as though he had a mental affliction. “Fashionable?” he questioned. “To wear jewellery meant for ears on your lips?”

Arthur nodded, wanting to get as far away from this conversation as possible. “For emo and scene chaps,” he intentionally mumbled.

His father had sharp ears. He put a hand to his forehead. “Emo? Scene? What the devil is that?”

Arthur boldly told his father to “google it” and then quickly made his getaway. On his way back to his office, he tried to muster the courage to tell Merlin it would probably be a good idea to lose the lip rings for work or run the risk of having his mental acuity questioned by his father.

Merlin was busy shuffling papers at his desk. He looked up as Arthur approached and, damn, if his blue eyes weren’t the most captivating Arthur had ever seen.

“That didn’t go well, did it?” Merlin stated.

Arthur knew this was the perfect moment to tell Merlin that he wasn’t working out as his PA and that he would need to shape up if he wanted to continue working for Arthur, but with eyes and lips and neck and shoulders – fuck! – as sexy as that, Arthur couldn’t bring himself to make the move.

Instead, he said comfortingly, “Don’t worry about it.”

Inside his office, he cursed himself for being so soft. No firing. No telling him to lose the lip rings. No stern admonition or even mentoring guidance. He was too easily distracted. One look at Merlin Emrys – aka Dragon Lorde – reduced him, the son of the fearsome and ruthless Uther Pendragon, to absolute mush. It was pathetic. Why the hell couldn’t Merlin Emrys perform his assistant duties as well as Dragon Lorde sucked men off? God, he was glorious at that. 

In fact, Arthur would have to say that Dragon Lorde was truly the best cock sucker he had ever seen. Not that he had seen a vast number of cock suckers in his twenty-six years, but had had occasion to view a number of techniques in the _HotBoyz_ videos he watched and Dragon’s technique far surpassed those of his colleagues. Arthur supposed the men on the receiving end of Dragon’s cock sucking had enough experience to be able to stave off orgasm in order to come when demanded, but Arthur found it amazing that most of the men lasted as long as they did with Dragon’s lips wrapped around their cocks. Arthur was sure he wouldn’t last thirty seconds. 

Arthur cursed himself again for letting his thoughts drift to the cock sucking savvy of his personal assistant who just so happened to double as his favourite porn star. Focus Arthur! he told himself and then attempted to get on with his work. 

~*~

This was his favourite video with Dragon as top. Scene: Locker room showers. Dragon – hot, wet and horny – pressing like-tattooed emo-twink Miles up against the wall, palms splayed against the tiles. Dragon mouths at the other boy’s neck and shoulders while he rubs his condom-sheathed cock along the twink’s crack, priming him. He slides a hand down Miles’ long lean torso and rests it on the slight curve of his hip. Then, with practised ease, he guides his cock to the tight hole and presses forward, a grunt spilling from his lips, barely audible over the humming spray of the shower—-

His door bell chimed. Arthur glanced at the time on his cell phone, wondering who could be calling on him at this hour on a Friday night amidst a raging thunderstorm. Arthur closed the lid of his laptop and set it on the coffee table then ambled from the sofa to the foyer to the door, intending to greet the unexpected guest in his current attire of t-shirt, sleep pants, and bare feet.

He found a drenched and bedraggled Merlin on the other side of the door. Arthur yanked his PA inside, expressing, “What the hell, Merlin! What are you doing out in this storm?”

Merlin pulled back the hood of his jacket then pulled a slip of paper from his jeans pocket, which looked soggy despite having been somewhat shielded. “I forgot to give this to you before you left,” he said, his teeth chattering. “A phone message and number to call back. Thought it might be important.” He gave Arthur an apologetic look.

Arthur took and quickly glanced at the message, recognizing the name and number – Sophia Sidhe. It wasn’t important business-wise but Merlin couldn’t have known that. Arthur noticed that a pool of water was collecting on the hardwood of his foyer and exclaimed, “Merlin, you’re soaking!” He pulled at Merlin’s hoodie to help him lift it off. “And why didn’t you just call me?”

“I don’t have your numbers,” Merlin mumbled through the fleece material. When he was free of the soaked garment, he added, “A friend of a friend sorta knew the area you lived in so I took a chance and came out here. Got caught in the storm trying to figure out which flat was yours.”

Well, Arthur had to give Merlin points for braving a thunderstorm to deliver an unimportant phone message on a Friday evening. He would be sure to give Merlin both his mobile and home phone numbers.

He instructed Merlin to kick off his trainers and then ushered him through his flat toward the bathroom, paying no attention to Merlin’s concerned mumbling about ruining his floors.

“Get your wet clothes off before you catch pneumonia,” he ordered. “I’ll pop them in the dryer and get you something to wear while they dry.”

Arthur left Merlin behind in the bathroom and went into his bedroom to collect an extra pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt. His clothes would be way too big on Merlin’s slim frame but they would be something for Merlin to wear while his own were drying. He returned to the bathroom and found Merlin had already peeled off his shirt and was in the midst of shucking his jeans, his long lean tattooed back – on perfect display – facing the doorway. Arthur gulped. God, that dragon tattoo was mesmerizing. What he wouldn’t do to reach out and stroke—

“Here’s some dry clothes,” he said, working hard to keep his voice from cracking.

Merlin turned, jeans now shed, revealing navy boxer briefs that hugged his lean hips and outlined his money-maker very nicely. “Thanks,” he said, reaching out to take the proffered garments.

Arthur retreated quickly, going to the foyer to grab up Merlin’s soaked hoodie and to mop the floor with a towel. He also remembered to scoop up the laptop from the coffee table and to ferret it safely away in his bedroom. 

Merlin came out of the bathroom clothed, the t-shirt and sleep pants hanging loosely on him. Arthur told him to make himself comfortable on the sofa in the living room while he tossed Merlin’s wet clothes into the dryer.

“Want a beer or cider?” Arthur called from the kitchen.

“I don’t drink,” Merlin told him. “But I’d love a cup of tea, if it’s no bother.”

Arthur smiled to himself. One thing he could say about Merlin Emrys was that he was anything but predictable. 

“Would you eat some popcorn if I popped some up?” he asked.

Arthur could see Merlin’s grin from the living room. “Sure.”

So Arthur put the kettle on and tossed a bag of popcorn into the microwave. He crossed into the living room and flicked on the fireplace, figuring Merlin could use the warmth. He tossed Merlin the television remote and told him to go ahead and pick something. 

In the kitchen, Arthur made tea and emptied the popped corn into a bowl. He carried the bowl and a mug of tea into the living room and set them on the coffee table in front of Merlin. Then he took up a spot on the sofa.

Merlin had settled on a station running later season episodes of _Mystery Science Theater 3000_ and Arthur again marvelled at how interestingly unpredictable Merlin was. He never would have pegged him for a MST3K geek. Merlin munched on popcorn and drank his tea, all the while snickering at the comments made by Mike, Servo and Crow. Arthur had to admit it was kind of endearing to see Merlin like this – laughing, eating popcorn, sipping tea, and just being himself. In Arthur’s clothes, he looked comfortable and ordinary, not a hint of the unattainable sexy porn model showing, his lip rings and emo hair blending into a very appealing and pleasantly surprising boy-next-door package. 

They watched television together for a couple of hours. Arthur got up to check on the status of Merlin’s clothing and when he carried the dried garments out into the living room, he found Merlin cocked to one side on the sofa, his eyes closed, half-asleep. So Arthur set Merlin’s clothes on the coffee table, collected the dishes, and went to fetch a blanket and pillow from the linen closet. 

He covered a dozing Merlin with the blanket and set the pillow next to him on the sofa. He wouldn’t wake him. If Merlin woke up and decided he needed to go home, he’d have his dry clothes to change back into. And, if not, he was welcome to stay the night on Arthur’s sofa.

Arthur retired to his own bedroom for the night. For a while, he just laid there, in his bed, trying very hard not to think about having Dragon Lorde sprawled out on his sofa, in his living room, in his clothes. Of course, when he thought about it being Merlin Emrys, he found it was still difficult to fall asleep, maybe even more so. Arthur couldn’t begin to fathom why that might be.

~*~

Merlin came into his office and closed the door behind him. He pulled a chair up to Arthur’s desk and ran a hand through his hair nervously.

“I need to ask you for something,” he said, his tone somewhat tentative.

Arthur raised his eyebrows.

“I know I haven’t been here long, but I’m wondering if I can have this Friday off,” Merlin continued. “I kinda have another commitment,” he explained. “Another job. Well, not really another job,” he said quickly, “because this is the only _job_ job I have right now. But a thing. You know? A job kinda thing that I made a commitment to and kinda have to show up for because it’s what I do—well, not what I do ‘cause obviously what I do now is assist you but--”

Arthur put up a hand. “Merlin, stop,” he said. It was time to come clean. “I know what it is.”

Merlin looked surprised. “You do?”

Arthur nodded. “I’ve seen you, er, Dragon Lorde--”

“You’ve seen my videos?” Merlin said, his tone incredulous. Arthur marvelled that there was not a trace of embarrassment in Merlin’s voice. He greatly admired that. 

“A couple, yes,” Arthur admitted, trying not to blush but ending up completely unsuccessful. It was more like he had seen every Dragon Lorde video ever made, of course, but Merlin didn’t need to know that.

“Really? I didn’t think you were – I mean--” Merlin stammered. “I didn’t think you’d be the type to be into gay porn.”

“And why is that?”

Merlin smiled. “Well, you’re one of Camelot City’s most eligible bachelors,” he said, and it was Arthur’s turn to look surprised. “You’re in the social section of the news all the time,” Merlin explained. “Usually with a pretty lady on your arm.”

“Yes, well, my father believes...” Arthur began but then stopped, shaking his head. “Let’s just say I’m expected to keep up certain appearances,” he offered as an explanation. He saw Merlin’s brows pinch together and said, “Look, can we maybe have this conversation over some lunch? I’m starving.” 

Merlin ordered some sandwiches from the deli around the corner from the office building to be delivered to Arthur’s office. Arthur couldn’t help think that this was one of the things Merlin was actually quite good at. The food and drinks arrived in about twenty minutes’ time and Arthur suggested they both spread their lunches out on his desk so they could enjoy a “semi-working” lunch break. Merlin didn’t seem to mind.

“So, what made you apply for this PA job?” Arthur asked halfway through his sandwich. “I mean, given that you already have a ‘kinda job’.” He couldn’t resist teasing Merlin somewhat with that description.

Merlin shrugged. He had already polished off his sandwich and was working on a side of crispy chips. “Thought I’d see if I was good at anything besides fucking on camera.”

Arthur almost choked on his turkey club but managed to clear his throat. He would definitely attest that Merlin was damn good at that. Superb actually. As a PA, though, not so much.

Merlin grinned. “I suppose I’d be considered a hell of a service provider when it comes to sucking cock. But not so great at providing service in the office setting – unless you want me to start going down--”

Arthur coughed loudly. Merlin grinned some more and had the decency to look apologetic.

“So that’s it? You wanted to see if you could branch out?” Arthur supposed it was a good enough reason.

This time Merlin blushed and Arthur was as much smitten as he was surprised by it. 

“Well, like I said, I’ve seen you in the society pages,” Merlin replied, “And let’s just say I may have developed a slight crush on you,” he revealed further. “I thought it would be kind of neat to meet you. I didn’t think I’d get an interview let alone get hired.”

Merlin had had a crush on him? That’s what had brought the young amateur porn star – the one who headlined his nightly fantasies – to his world? It seemed almost improbable.

“Well, now that you’ve met me,” Arthur said, his voice silky, “Still got that crush?” The question was out of his mouth before he had even really thought about it. Merlin’s natural boldness was rubbing off on him.

A smile spread slowly across Merlin’s face. “What do you think?”

Now it was Arthur’s turn to blush.

Merlin scooped up the trash from his finished lunch and prepared to get back to work. But before he left Arthur’s office, he gave a wink and said, “I’ll let know when Friday’s video shoot is uploaded to the site.”

Cheeky brat, thought Arthur. Though he would not deny that he’d be the first to download and watch that new Dragon Lorde video. 

~*~

Arthur was in the middle of proof-reading a report when the CEO of Pendragon Inc. waltzed into his office.

Merlin rang through on the intercom. Arthur pushed the button.

“Um, your father’s here to see you,” Merlin’s voice announced through the device.

“Yes, Merlin,” Arthur replied, his eyes flicking toward the man now standing in his office. “I can see that. Thanks.”

Uther Pendragon’s brows furrowed and he twitched a thumb toward the outer office. “You still haven’t gotten rid of Emo Boy yet?”

His father had obviously taken his advice and had been on Google. Or had one of his assistants on Google for him. “You mean Merlin?” he said, not much liking the use of ‘Emo Boy’ as if that was the young man’s proper name. “No.”

Uther Pendragon took a seat. “I think this is the first time you have kept anyone on for longer than two weeks,” his father said, a look of suspicion flickering across his face. “He’s a dreadful assistant. Probably one of those gay types,” he added carelessly. Arthur flinched ever so slightly. “And really what kind of name is _Merlin_ anyway?”

Arthur schooled his features and said to his father, “I assume you didn’t come here to talk about my choice of assistants,” hoping to bring the focus of the conversation back around.

“Of course not,” Uther responded. “I got a call recently from Alfric Sidhe,” he informed him.

“Oh?” said Arthur, not liking this direction either.

“Yes. Apparently, Alfric is under the impression that you have been avoiding his daughter.”

“I haven’t been avoiding Sophia,” Arthur defended, though he could admit to himself it was more of a purposeful sidestepping. “I’ve just been very busy.”

Uther Pendragon raised his eyebrows. “Too busy to return a phone call or to invite the young lady out for dinner?” 

Arthur sighed. “I suppose I have been a little out of touch. I’ll ring her on the weekend,” he said to appease.

“How about ringing her today?” his father pressed.

Arthur hated when his father did this – meddle in his personal life. But he was too soft at this stage in his life to tell his father to “bugger off”.

So he rang Sophia that very afternoon and invited her out to dinner. Not wanting to invest too much time in planning the obligatory date, he asked Merlin to make the arrangements for him. 

“You actually trust me with this?” Merlin said, his smile teasing. 

“Yes,” Arthur told him. He didn’t think even Merlin could screw up simple dinner plans too badly. Besides, even if he did, Arthur didn’t much care. Sophia Sidhe was a nice enough young woman but Arthur wasn’t into her. In fact, he wasn’t into any woman. This and every other date he suffered through with a lady was simply to appease and gain approval from his father. 

Though he wasn’t very hopeful, Arthur did look forward to a day that he could go on a date with someone he truly liked and was attracted to, where he could just be himself. And why Merlin came to mind when he thought about this, Arthur couldn’t imagine.

~*~  
Of course, Merlin got the time and the restaurant wrong but Arthur went with it nevertheless. _Archipelago_ boasted global cuisine and an exotic atmosphere and it delivered on both. Arthur and Sophia were seated amidst plumes of peacock feathers and gold buddhas, accented by rich reds, greens, and golds. 

Sophia looked around tentatively. “This is interesting,” she said. “Definitely not your usual choice.”

“It was my PA’s suggestion,” Arthur told her because it sounded far more proficient than Merlin somehow got _The Archaize_ mixed up with _Archipelago._

“The one who never passes along my phone messages?” Sophia said sulkily.

Arthur ignored her in favour of choosing a wine. He went with the gewürztraminer from South Africa on the recommendation of the wine steward and because it was the only one Sophia hadn’t turned her nose up at.

“So,” Arthur said, glancing over the menu. “I’m thinking of going with the croc fillet as a starter and either the seared zebra or the marinated kangaroo for the main. You?”

Sophia tossed him a look. “You can’t be serious, Arthur.”

Arthur couldn’t help but grin. “Where’s your sense of adventure, Soph?”

“I left it along with the idea of going on safari with my father,” she replied stuffily. “I’ll skip the appetizer and have the roast chicken breast. It sounds the least offensive.”

Arthur smiled to himself. Merlin’s little mix-up was ending up to be quite entertaining.

His Cayman Islands crocodile appetizer was served on a square rock. Croc on a Rock – brilliant. The fillet had been seared in vine leaves and was served with a tasty plum dipping sauce. Arthur had to admit it was one of the most delicious things he had ever tasted. Sophia watched him savour his starter with suspicion.

“Want a bite?” Arthur asked her, holding a piece of croc out to her on the end of a chopstick. Sophia shook her head. “Too bad, it’s delicious.” He popped the meat into his mouth and then washed it down with a sip of his gewürztraminer. He marvelled at the taste of that too. Even his wine glass had exotic style - hand blown glass with a long stem about six inches with a leaf sprouting from the stem.

Arthur was halfway through his seared zebra, which had a lovely port and juniper sauce, and the sour green mango soba noodles that accompanied the dish were delectable, while Sophia picked at her roast chicken and curry-coconut rice, when his iPhone buzzed indicating a text. He glanced at the screen. It was Merlin.

_Having fun yet?_

_No_ , Arthur texted back.

_Got something that’ll perk you up._

_Yeah?_

_New vid’s up on hotboyz._

“Arthur, are you _texting_?” Sophia’s piercing voice interrupted.

Arthur looked up. “Sorry,” he said. “Work.” He quickly typed _later_ into the text box and hit send. Then he set his iPhone onto the table beside him, certain Merlin would give him an out if he needed it.

Arthur ended his meal with the “African Sunset”, granadilla bavarois topped with 24 crt gold and champagne glaze, and a Moroccan spiced coffee. Sophia opted for no dessert and no after dinner drink. As soon as she saw the choice of chocolate covered scorpions on the dessert menu, she refrained from trying anything for fear there would be hidden bugs in it.

He dropped Sophia back at her flat after dinner, ignoring the not-so-subtle hints she was dropping to stay awhile at her place. Instead, he gave an excuse about having some work to attend to (alluding to the earlier texts made it sound more plausible) and bid her goodnight.

As soon as he got home, he changed out of his dinner clothes and pulled on his sleep pants. He stretched out onto his bed with his laptop, went to the _HotBoyz_ site and downloaded the new Dragon Lorde video, trying very hard not to think about how pathetic he really was.

The video was set up in the manner of the naughty schoolboy. Dragon played the wayward student who needed to be “taught a lesson” by his teacher played by an older man who was credited simply as Ed M. Dragon was called to the teacher’s office and given a stern scolding. Then to get back into the teacher’s good graces (or to distract him from further scolding), Dragon unzipped the teacher’s trousers, got down on his knees and took the man’s cock into his mouth. He encouraged the teacher to fuck his mouth and Arthur almost exploded then. As he maintained, Dragon was a phenomenal cock sucker and the visual of this scene was exceptionally hot. Arthur imagined it was his cock in Dragon’s mouth, the drag of his full length as he fucked the boy’s mouth sending pinpricks of pleasure all over his body. But Arthur would not allow himself to touch his cock yet – he didn’t want to come too quickly.

The teacher dropped his cock from Dragon’s mouth and hauled the boy up. He yanked down his uniform trousers and bent him over the desk. He parted Dragon’s cheeks and began licking at his entrance, wetting him, preparing him. Arthur watched Dragon’s face with rapt attention as he got thoroughly licked – his jaw slack, his mouth slightly ajar, his blue eyes glazed wantonly, his tongue flicking erotically over the rings on his bottom lip. God, Dragon knew how to sell it. It was those looks that made Arthur wish he could be the one to make the boy’s jaw drop, eyes glaze over, and tongue dart in abandon. 

Mr. M grabbed a condom from his desk, opened the package, and rolled it onto his stiff member. He penetrated Dragon with a hard thrust and a low grunt. Then he fucked Dragon hard, slamming into him from behind, smiling lecherously as the boy moaned out his pleasure. Arthur touched himself now, imagining it was he who was pounding Dragon against the desk, his cock sliding in and out with lustful vigour. 

It was Arthur who came first this time, spurting over the top of the waistband of his sleep pants onto his chest. He was followed by Mr. M and then finally Dragon, who ejected gracefully (if such a thing was possible) all over the desk top. 

Arthur hissed out a breath as he slowly came down from his high. Wow. He was pretty sure this video was going to end up one of his favourites. Just to be absolutely certain, though, he watched it another five times that evening.

When he had cleaned himself up, changed his sleep clothes, and settled into his bed to sleep, he got the text from Merlin.

_You watch it?_

_Yes._

_Like it?_

_Yes._

Arthur refrained from adding three hundred exclamation marks. He didn’t want to appear too perverted.

:)

_btw, did you have the kangaroo or zebra?_

_Zebra_

_Good right??_

Arthur had to grin. Damn, Merlin. He hadn’t mixed up the restaurants after all. It was now obvious he had selected the Archipelago with some perverse purpose in mind. Well, Arthur could say he had truly enjoyed it, though he would have preferred different company. But that was a thought for another day.

_Git_ , he teased.

_lol_

_Night_ , was Merlin’s next text.

_Goodnight Merlin._

As he lay in bed, Arthur wondered how he was ever going to get to sleep tonight with visions of schoolboy Dragon Lorde being taught a very naughty lesson in his mind. Not to mention visions of Merlin Emrys, naked and nestled amidst peacock plumage, holding out a chocolate covered scorpion teasingly for Arthur to taste. 

Thank goodness it was the weekend.

~*~

It was the hair Arthur noticed first. It was still stylishly mussed up but now shorter, bangs off the forehead and scrunched-messy chic. And there was something else – the lip rings were gone.

“Morning Merlin,” Arthur tested, just to be sure.

Merlin gave a smile that weakened Arthur’s knees and returned cheerfully, “Good morning, Arthur.”

Arthur quickly escaped into his office before he either melted into a puddle of mush or decided to kiss Merlin senseless. Either action would prove highly embarrassing and would not be considered professionally etiquette in this office setting, particularly with other staff close by and Morgana only four offices down.

Arthur slid into the chair behind his desk and decided he had to stop watching those HotBoyz videos. Over the weekend, he had watched and rewatched that naughty schoolboy video about twenty-eight times and had wanked to orgasm through most of them. Even Arthur was surprised at how strong his stamina could be when it came to masturbating with Dragon Lorde at the center of his attention.

And now, with Merlin looking almost office-boyish and having the ability to bring Arthur to his knees with a smile, Arthur could only hope he could remain focused on his work today and not let thoughts of fucking Dragon or Merlin or ejaculating on a desktop interrupt his concentration or work flow. He needed this especially because he had a series of meetings with his father in the afternoon and Arthur could not afford to raise the curiosity of Uther Pendragon, who would assuredly attempt to find out how his “date” with Sophia had gone.

So Arthur reined in all his nervous energy and began to get to work. He only sighed in resignation when he realized he had just licked the tip of his pen before putting it to the notepad in front of him.

~*~

Merlin’s mishaps continued to come in waves. There were the usual and inevitable paper cuts and stamping gone awry, and on at least one occasion, Arthur was alerted to a whole new meaning of workplace hazards when Merlin caught his tie in the shredder. This, of course, prompted Arthur to call the company that manufactured the shredder to give them a piece of his mind about the safety features of their products and to ban Merlin from using the machine all together. He would hate to see Merlin (and Dragon Lorde) lose his most precious asset.

He had even had to take back the first aid kit he had allowed Merlin to keep at his desk for tending to his “boo-boos” after Merlin nicked himself with the scissors cutting a bandage to dress a gushing paper cut on his knuckle. 

All in all, it was business as usual in and around Arthur’s office. But he had noticed something different besides Merlin’s new hair cut. While his assistant hadn’t become any more proficient at his job, he had become a lot more efficient at subtly flirting with Arthur. It wasn’t anything Arthur could point to specifically – a brush of his hand, a peek from under his lashes, a gaze held a little longer than necessary – but Arthur knew. He could feel the sexual energy between them. Merlin Emrys was a lousy personal assistant but he was a master at the art of subtle seduction. 

Arthur was typing an email response to a business associate in Dubai (because Merlin still hadn’t gotten the hang of what it was Arthur, as Director of International Relations, actually did), when Merlin came through the doorway of his office - well, almost. He actually tripped on a loose shoelace (this was why loafers were invented), went flying sideways, and caught his face on the door jam. Ouch.

Arthur jumped up and hurried around his desk to offer assistance, grabbing the first aid kit from the shelf by instinct. Merlin held a hand to his nose which, of course, was bleeding, his face screwed up in rueful chagrin. Unfortunately, it did nothing to lessen his cuteness. He led him to a guest chair, opened the first aid kit, and started cleaning Merlin up.

“You know,” Arthur said, holding gauze to Merlin’s bleeding nose. “I’m thinking of entering you into a contest for Most Office Mishaps. I think you’d have a right good chance of winning.”

Merlin rolled his eyes and Arthur smiled. Even his eye-rolling somehow managed to be sexy.

Not surprisingly, Merlin’s nose bled profusely. It took some time to stop the bleeding, with Arthur having to change the gauze several times in relay fashion so as to prevent blood from dripping onto Merlin’s shirt. There was only so much a stain stick could do.

While he was tending to Merlin’s injury, he was aware of how close and intimate he was, hovering over Merlin who was seated in the chair, holding a wad of gauze to his assistant’s nose. Merlin was not helping any. In fact, Arthur would say Merlin was doing his damn best to flirt with him even now. It was in his eyes. Merlin’s blue eyes were very expressive and they were expressing something very much like want, desire. Arthur felt his cock twitch.

“There we go,” he said loudly in an effort to diffuse the overtones of arousal. “All better.” He took a step back and tossed the bloody gauze into the trash bin.

Merlin smiled and, damn, if he didn’t lick his bottom lip. This boy would surely be the death of him.

Merlin looked as though he was going to say something but they were suddenly interrupted by the CEO of Pendragon Inc., who loomed in the doorway of Arthur’s office. Uther Pendragon passed a curious glance over Merlin, his brows furrowing, no doubt in question of Merlin’s blood-splotched face, then directed his attention to Arthur.

“Arthur, need you to join a conference call in ten.”

His father allowed himself one more look at Merlin, his face puzzled, before stalking off presumably back to his own office.

When Merlin looked at Arthur, his expression was a mix of woefulness and proud defiance, a reaction to his father’s rather dismissive attitude toward him. Arthur couldn’t blame him. He had been under Uther Pendragon’s dismissive scrutiny since birth. It was a tough toll.

So, against his better judgment, Arthur let Merlin set up the conference call in coordination with his father’s own executive assistant and was relieved it only took him three tries to make the connections. A far cry better, Arthur thought, then his early days on the job when it would have taken him at least six.

~*~

Arthur was late. He was never late. But for some reason his alarm clock refused to go off at the correct time this morning, putting Arthur behind about half an hour. 

He mumbled a quick “good morning” to Merlin on route into his office, briefly taking in the young man seated behind the desk. However, when his mind finally caught up to the rest of him, Arthur had to stop, then back up and assess his personal assistant more carefully.

Nope, he hadn’t imagined it. Merlin was wearing an actual button-down dress shirt, tucked into pleated and belted trousers no less, his tie knotted neatly under the buttoned shirt collar. Arthur’s eyebrows rose mentally. This was a surprise.

“What?” Merlin asked, looking a little self-conscious now.

Arthur smiled. “Nothing,” he replied then carried on into his office.

He settled quickly behind his desk, opening his email, intending to get straight to work. His father was expecting him to have a draft report to present to the Board detailing the company’s branch expansion into Eastern Europe by the end of the week and Arthur could not afford to mess this up. 

Two hours into his work, Merlin brought him a cup of coffee. Black with just a dash of cream. And best of all, none of it ended up in his lap. 

“Thank you,” Arthur said appreciatively, rolling his shoulders and neck to work out a stubborn kink that had settled in while he was hunched over his computer.

“I can help you with that,” Merlin said, springing to action. He was positioned behind Arthur’s desk chair before Arthur could even ask what it was Merlin was keen on helping him with.

Merlin put his hands on Arthur’s shoulders and massaged gently with his long fingers and thumb. Arthur thought he died and went to heaven. He could already feel the tightness in his shoulders easing. Merlin was more than just a sex god; he was also a master masseur. 

“You’re way too tense, Arthur,” Merlin remarked.

Arthur barked out a laugh. “You think?” Arthur knew he should probably tell Merlin to stop, but it felt way too good to give this up just yet.

Merlin continued kneading his shoulders and began rubbing his thumbs into the base of Arthur’s neck. Arthur resisted the urge to purr. 

Then, suddenly, Merlin’s mouth was at his ear, whispering, “God, you have great shoulders. I’d love to run my hands over them when you don’t have this pesky shirt on.” 

Merlin was definitely flirting with him. There was no doubt about that. And Arthur definitely liked it. But now was not the time to indulge in Merlin’s obvious flirting.

So he coughed and said, “Well, I should be getting back to work now...”

He could sense Merlin’s grin even though he couldn’t see his face. His assistant ambled toward the door of Arthur’s office, saying over his shoulder as he exited, “You know, there’s a sure fire way of getting rid of all that tension.”

Damn it all, didn’t Arthur know it.

~*~

The text seemed strangely normal. It was from Merlin, after all.

_Need help. Supply closet at end of hall._

Arthur trekked down the office hallway toward the four by four space designated as the “supply closet”. There was no visible sign of Merlin so he tried the door handle. It was locked. He glanced around the empty hallway, craning his head to peek into the office closest by, then knocked lightly and hesitantly on the door.

It opened. A hand snagged out and quickly yanked Arthur inside.

“What the hell--?” Arthur muttered into the darkness, aware of a lanky body close to his, a pair of hands touching his forearms.

“Shhhh,” said Merlin. “You’ll ruin the moment.”

“What moment?” he asked. Maybe his father was right. Maybe Merlin really did have a mental affliction.

“This one,” Merlin whispered back and Arthur could feel his breath on his cheek.

Soft lips pressed against his and Arthur thought it very much felt like falling into a cloud – all warm and pillowy and utterly wonderful.

“Well, I’m glad you lured me into the supply closet for this,” Arthur remarked, feeling rather breathless, “and not because you were actually stuck and needed help getting out.”

He heard Merlin’s husky chuckle. “I want to lure you into doing more than just this, but one thing at a time,” he said. A shiver goosed up Arthur’s spine.

Merlin raked a hand over and down Arthur’s dress shirt clad chest. “In case you haven’t got a clue, I want you – badly. Fuck, Arthur, I cut my hair, changed my clothes and even took out the lip rings. All for you.”

Ah, so this was the reason behind the recent changes Merlin had made to his appearance.

Arthur leaned in and said, “Not for me, Merlin. I like you just the way you are.”

“Yeah, but your father doesn’t,” Merlin responded, “and I know you want his approval so I guess that still makes it for you.”

Arthur felt Merlin’s hand snake down and cup his crotch. He gasped, eliciting a throaty snicker from Merlin. Then Merlin’s hand was on his belt, flicking it open, unclasping his dress pants, sliding down the zipper. Merlin shoved his hand inside his briefs and palmed his cock. Arthur’s breath caught. God, he wanted Merlin to jerk him off. But right now? Inside the supply closet, a few feet away from an occupied office?

Arthur valiantly tried to remember who occupied that office as Merlin rubbed his palm against his growing erection, finding it hard to form any kind of coherent thought.

“Merlin...” he murmured, not sure if he intended it to be an encouragement or a warning.

“Arthur...” Merlin murmured back and there was amusement in his voice.

“Don’t think my father would approve of what we’re doing now. In a supply closet. In the middle of the afternoon.”

Arthur was fully erect now, Merlin’s hand sliding deftly up and down his shaft.

“Should we go back and do it in your office then?” Merlin teased.

“Uh-uh,” was all Arthur could stammer out. He tilted his hips forward and his head back, letting the pleasure of Merlin’s stroking wash over him.

A few more strokes and Arthur hit his peak, coming with a low gasp. The experienced pro that he was, Merlin had anticipated Arthur’s eruption, and had efficiently shielded Arthur’s expensive clothing from catching any spill. Merlin then pulled something from a mysterious place in his own pants – a handkerchief perhaps? – and wiped both of them clean.

“I want to be able to do this to you more often,” Merlin whispered in his ear. “Preferably not in the closet, if you know what I mean.”

“Merlin...” Arthur started to whisper back but found he didn’t know what to say. “My father...”

“Doesn’t know you like men,” Merlin said. 

Merlin was exactly right. Although Arthur would not describe his father as a homophobe, he knew very well that Uther Pendragon had certain expectations for his only son. And these expectations did not include dating and/or fucking other men. This was fine for others – like Merlin, for example – but it would not be remotely acceptable for _his_ son. Arthur had thought many times about sharing his real desires with Uther, but he was afraid of the disappointment that might follow if his father knew the truth. And Arthur just wasn’t ready to bear that burden.

“Probably would have been better I never got this job,” Merlin expressed and Arthur thought he heard a tone of something that sounded like hurt in his voice. Before Arthur could answer, Merlin clicked open the door of the supply closet, letting in a flood of light from the hallway. He peeked out, glanced about, then quickly exited.

Arthur waited a full five minutes before following, hoping during that time no one was in need of supplies and would find him brooding miserably in the supply closet.

~*~

To help him out, Morgana had gone through the CVs submitted for the PA posting, picking out what seemed like the best candidates for interview. At the time, Arthur had been too shocked by Dragon Lorde’s appearance in his office to question the inclusion of Merlin Emrys as an interview candidate – who had no experience whatsoever and whose CV had read like a teenager looking for an after-school job. But now...

He gave Gwen a charming smile as he waltzed past her into Morgana’s office. The lack of any serious protest from Gwen told him his sister wasn’t with anyone right now nor engaged in any important business.

Morgana cocked a perfect eyebrow at him as he took up a seat in one of her guest chairs. “Now to what do I owe this unexpected visit, dear brother?”

“Merlin,” Arthur said, cutting to the chase.

“Merlin? Your PA?” Morgana’s brows scrunched as though she thought it strange for Arthur to bring up Merlin.

Arthur nodded. “How the hell did he end up in the interview pile?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Morgana asked, and rather coyly it seemed to Arthur.

“He has no experience as an executive assistant. The only work experience he listed was service-related – which turned out to be mostly house-sitting and dog-walking – and modelling for an obscure clothing line offered through the web.”

“You hired him,” Morgana reminded him, a hint of a smile on her face. “Is he still not working out? I saw that he removed the piercings and changed his wardrobe so as not to give Uther a fright.”

“Don’t change the subject,” Arthur said. He folded his hands on his lap. “I’m interested in hearing why you picked his CV out of the ones submitted to be interviewed.”

“Arthur, I was doing you a favour by going through those CVs,” his sister said, a congenial pout forming on her lips. Arthur narrowed his eyes and held his ground. Morgana huffed out a sigh and gave in. “It was all Gwen’s doing really.”

“Gwen?”

Morgana nodded. “Gwen collected the CVs for you, remember? Apparently, Merlin came in to submit his in person. At first Gwen didn’t clue in but shortly after he left, she realized she recognized him.”

“Recognized him?” Arthur asked. What the hell did that mean?

“From his videos,” Morgana said straight up and Arthur had to keep himself from falling out of the chair. She gave a smirk. “I guess she and Lance are into watching gay porn--”

Arthur held up his hands to indicate those were enough details regarding Morgana’s personal assistant and her beloved boyfriend.

“Anyway, she came to me saying that I would never believe who had applied for your PA job and I said ‘who?’ and she said ‘Dragon Lorde, only his real name is Merlin Emrys’ and I said ‘oh!’ and then we decided--”

“Hang on,” Arthur interrupted. “How would you know who--?”

Morgana stopped him with another raised brow. “Arthur, seriously,” she said. “ _You_ watch gay porn. On your laptop. You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t know your _HotBoyz_ favourite is a dark-haired beauty with great bone structure and a magnificent dragon tattoo on his back, who calls himself ‘Dragon Lorde’? I’m Morgana. Your sister. Please.”

Arthur stared at her, trying to catch up. “Wha---? So...?” He knew he probably looked like a gaping fish.

Morgana smiled at him. “I know it’s hard for you to meet and date guys you like because you’re afraid Uther will find out that you’re gay, though I really think he’d understand if you told him. So Gwen and I thought that if we fixed things a little in your favour...”

“By including Dragon in the interviews,” Arthur finished, now caught up.

“So you could meet your ultimate fantasy,” Morgana expressed. “And maybe go out for coffee and then shag or something. Neither one of us expected you’d _hire_ him.”

“It was a moment of weakness,” Arthur admitted, running a hand through his hair. He was still reeling from the fact that Morgana knew he fantasized about a twink on a gay porn site, and that Gwen’s boyfriend Lance – who was pretty hot from his viewpoint – watched gay porn with his girlfriend.

“Do you really think Uther wouldn’t go into a spasm if I told him I was gay and stalking a porn star who is working as my PA?”

Morgana smiled fondly. “Maybe leave the bit about the porn star out at the start,” she advised. “And what about Merlin? Does he know you’ve fallen in love with him?”

“What? I haven’t fallen in love--” he started to say. It was pure reflex because Arthur had certainly fallen in love with Merlin Emrys. He shook his head. “He’s real, Morgana. Not just a fantasy.” It was hard to explain why having something real like Merlin made it especially difficult to open up, but he knew his sister understood. She had always known him best.

“You need to tell him, Arthur,” Morgana said. “I know you’re emotionally constipated but it’s what you have to do.”

Arthur nodded then said, “How much longer do you think I can keep him as my PA before he accidentally sets fire to the building?”

Morgana giggled. “I wouldn’t go much longer than another two weeks. Trust me, the new photocopy machine will thank you.”

~*~

“So. Would you like to go out with me?” Arthur invited, after he had called Merlin into his office. “Tonight,” he added.

“Like on a date?” Merlin asked, his eyes belying a hint of amusement. Apparently, Merlin hadn’t thought Arthur had had it in him.

“Yes,” Arthur replied. “Like on a date.” 

Merlin’s eyes widened in exaggerated shock. “Arthur Pendragon is asking _me_ out on a date.” 

“Well?” Arthur was resolved not to let the boy goad him.

Merlin leaned palms on Arthur’s desk and peeked up slyly from under long lashes. “I don’t know,” he said. “Will this date involve you taking me back to your flat and fucking my brains out?”

Arthur reined in the blush that was making its way full-blown to his cheeks. “No, Merlin,” he said and he saw Merlin actually pout. “There has to be dinner first.”

Merlin’s pout became a smile. He pushed off the desk and expressed eagerly, “Well, let’s get going then!” 

Arthur made a show of looking at his watch. “There’s still a half-hour left to the work day,” he reminded.

Merlin narrowed his eyes and twisted his mouth into a rueful grin. “Tease,” he accused congenially.

Arthur chuckled as Merlin purposely stomped from Arthur’s office back to his desk.

~*~

At the posh restaurant Arthur brought him to, Merlin did his best to hurry along dinner. In between courses, he tried to tempt Arthur into making dinner short by rubbing a shoeless foot along his inner thigh, his tempting teasing hidden by the tablecloth and the dimly lit atmosphere.

When the waiter came around to ask whether they would be interested in having dessert, Merlin boldly informed him, “Nope. Just the bill, please.” The waiter raised his eyebrows and Arthur was glad that it was too dim for the man to see that he was blushing or that Merlin’s toes were now pressing lightly into his crotch.

He had barely let them into his flat before Merlin jumped up on him, wrapping his long legs around Arthur’s hips.

“Okay. We had dinner. Now I want dessert.”

Arthur chuckled. “A little eager, aren’t you?”

“Very,” Merlin replied then he claimed Arthur’s mouth with his own, parting his lips expertly and kissing him deeply. Arthur’s cock twitched with reciprocating eagerness and he silently praised himself for actually making it through dinner when all he had really thought about was this – kissing Merlin, touching Merlin, doing filthy things with Merlin.

Arthur walked to his bedroom with Merlin attached to him, still kissing him. He set Merlin onto the bed and then lay down beside him. Merlin immediately rolled on top of him and Arthur had to laugh.

“You’re not going to give me a chance to get away, are you?”

Merlin grinned down at him. “Nope.”

Merlin helped Arthur out of his clothes and quickly dispensed with his own. Then he straddled Arthur, brushing their cocks together, and went about exploring Arthur’s neck and chest thoroughly with his lips and tongue. Every few nips and licks, Arthur would drag Merlin’s head back up to his so he could kiss him deeply. Merlin kissed him back wantonly then returned to teasing him with his mouth.

Merlin made his way down Arthur’s chest, pausing to lick around his bellybutton, which Arthur found very erotic. Without preamble, he sucked the head of Arthur’s cock in then slid his way down the shaft, proceeding to take his full length in. 

It was every bit as good as he had imagined – Merlin sliding his mouth up and down his cock, sucking at the head in rhythmic pleasure.

“God, Merlin,” he breathed out, his eyes rolling back into his head. “You’ve got to stop that.”

Merlin withdrew his mouth and peeked up at him. “You don’t like?”

“I love what you’re doing,” Arthur clarified, “but I won’t last more than thirty seconds if you keep doing it.” Well, maybe he’d last sixty seconds but Arthur wasn’t willing to push it.

Merlin grinned then lifted an eyebrow. “Okay. I’m willing to go to the next step,” he said. “You did say something about having dinner then fucking my brains out.”

Arthur gave a half-smile. “Actually, dinner was my idea. Fucking your brains out was yours.”

Merlin huffed out a laugh. “Whatever. I want my dessert.”

Arthur traced the silver stud in Merlin’s bellybutton with a finger, thinking, suddenly feeling at a slight disadvantage as far as sexual experience went. He had had sex with men before (okay, only two other men but they were still men) but they were nothing compared to Merlin, aka Dragon Lorde, the phenomenal porn twink. 

Merlin gave Arthur an inquiring look. “What is it?” he asked.

Arthur blew out a sigh and then said with careful measure, “You’ve had sex with a lot of guys.” 

Merlin cocked a brow. “Is that your way of telling me I’m a slut?”

Arthur expressed a chuckle. “No. It’s my way of saying I’m afraid I won’t measure up.”

Merlin smiled then said with confidence, “Oh, you will.” But he seemed aware that he might not sound convincing to Arthur so he added, “Look, the porn thing – it’s just a job, Arthur. A job that involves going through the physical motions of sex and selling a reaction. Trust me, it’s not particularly romantic, emotional or even intimate.”

“But enjoyable,” Arthur said.

Merlin allowed a grin. “It can be quite enjoyable,” he agreed, “but not nearly as enjoyable as having sex with someone you genuinely want to be with.”

“Is that your way of saying you want to be with someone?” Arthur asked.

“I want to be with you,” Merlin said. 

Arthur felt his heart flip and silently cursed himself for being such a sentimental romantic. But he supposed it was a character flaw he could live with.

Merlin went back to rubbing their cocks together and Arthur went back to feeling wonderfully aroused. When he was mostly erect again (that only took about two seconds), Arthur reached for the condom and lube packets he had stored under his pillow that morning in anticipation of something like this happening and handed them over to Merlin. 

Merlin tore open the condom package with his teeth. Then, not breaking eye contact with Arthur, he reached behind him and with one quick, fluid movement, he rolled the condom expertly onto Arthur’s erect shaft. 

“God, you’re good at that,” Arthur complimented, his breath ragged.

Merlin winked at him. “Perks of being in the sex entertainment industry,” he said. He spread some lube over his palms and slid them up and down Arthur’s rubber-clad cock. Then he guided Arthur’s hard member to where it was supposed to go and gently sank down on it, his face expressing his need and his desire for satisfaction.

Merlin rode him fast and hard, slamming his hips down in tandem with Arthur driving his hips up. It was glorious. Merlin felt so good around him, hot, tight, magnificent. Arthur was sure he would be the first to come and was surprised when Merlin ejected warm and sticky all over his chest without having even touched himself once. Arthur followed, still inside Merlin, filling the reservoir tip of the condom with his own spunk.

Merlin traced a pattern with his finger through the cum on Arthur’s chest, breathing heavily, coming down from his orgasmic high. Then he slid carefully up and off Arthur, helping him to quickly dispose of the condom. He flopped on his back onto the bed next to Arthur.

“Fuck, that was good,” Merlin expressed, blowing out a breath. “Think I’ll have to quit my job now.”

“Which one?” Arthur asked.

“Both,” Merlin answered. He turned on his side to look at Arthur. “Let’s face it, I’m a terrible assistant and a potential work hazard.” 

“Potential?” Arthur queried.

Merlin narrowed his eyes and gave him a swat on the shoulder. “And I’m not sure I want anyone else’s cock in me now that I’ve had yours,” he said.

Arthur grinned. “You really know how to sweet talk a guy.”

Merlin rolled on top of him. “What can I say? You’re my ultimate fantasy, Arthur Pendragon.”

Wow. _He_ was _Merlin’s_ ultimate fantasy. That seemed hardly believable.

“I don’t know, Merlin,” Arthur mused. “If you quit your PA job, I just might miss you a little too much. On the plus side, it would reduce the chances of the building catching fire.” Merlin smirked good-naturedly and Arthur felt compelled to trace his plush, pink lips. He said with more seriousness, “And I would never ask you to quit your porn job. I won’t lie, it’ll be hard for me but I’d never ask you to do that.”

“Thank you,” Merlin said, appreciating Arthur’s willingness to let Merlin choose his own path and make his own decision. “But can we talk about this later? I want a second helping of dessert.”

~*~

The man called Cam Knight thrust his cock up into Dragon Lorde, who was seated on his lap, writhing and moaning, riding the waves of pleasure that were building up. Dragon arched his back, his hips rolling in a steady rhythm as he ground down on Cam’s cock. Cam dragged his fingernails down the boy’s chest, marking him, smiling when he heard the low groan coming from those amazing lips.

Dragon came first, grabbing his cock and directing it toward his own chest, spurting warm all over it. When it was Cam’s turn, he lifted Dragon up and off his lap, ripped the condom off his cock and added his spill to Dragon’s chest. Then, placing the boy back onto his lap, he bent his head and licked their cum from Dragon’s chest, paying extra special attention to the spunk that had collected around the silver bellybutton stud.

“And that’s a wrap!” the man called Gwaine yelled out.

He floated enthusiastically over to Merlin and Arthur. “Nice job boys,” he told them. “This new Dragon Lorde/Cam Knight series is gonna be a huge hit for _HotBoyz_.”

Arthur and Merlin barely heard him. They were still in post-coital, post-orgasm position, Merlin on Arthur’s lap, their mouths fitted together, tongues tangled.

When they were finally shooed out by the set clean-up crew, they headed for the showers to wash up. And maybe have sex again. 

“Hey, Dragon,” Percy Strong called toward them as they emerged from the shower room, now clean and dressed. “Heard the take was hot. You fellas even made the camera guy come.” He grinned lecherously. “Don’t suppose you’d let some of us have a go at your new stud.” 

Merlin smiled congenially at Percy but said firmly, “Not a chance in hell.” He pulled Arthur a little closer to him, a gesture that clearly said “You’re mine”. Arthur had to admit he liked it – liked being Dragon Lorde’s ‘stud’. But the truth of it was he liked being Merlin Emrys’ boyfriend even more.

~*~


End file.
